Editing Suret language (section)

===Modern development===
[[File:East Syriac Script Thaksa.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Classical Syriac written in ''Madnhāyā'' script. [[Thrissur]], [[India]], 1799]]
The oldest and classical form of the alphabet is ''{{transliteration|sem|ʾEsṭrangēlā}}'' ({{lang|syr|ܐܣܛܪܢܓܠܐ}}); the name is thought to derive from the Greek adjective {{lang|grc|στρογγύλη}} (''strongúlē'') 'round'.<ref>[[William Hatch (theologian)|Hatch, William]] (1946). ''An album of dated Syriac manuscripts''. Boston: The American Academy of Arts and Sciences, reprinted in 2002 by Gorgias Press. p. 24. {{ISBN|1-931956-53-7}}.</ref><ref>[[Eberhard Nestle|Nestle, Eberhard]] (1888). ''Syrische Grammatik mit Litteratur, Chrestomathie und Glossar''. Berlin: H. Reuther's Verlagsbuchhandlung. [translated to English as ''Syriac grammar with bibliography, chrestomathy and glossary'', by R. S. Kennedy. London: Williams & Norgate 1889. p. 5].</ref> Although ʾEsṭrangēlā is no longer used as the main script for writing Syriac, it has undergone some revival since the 10th century.

When [[Arabic]] gradually began to be the dominant spoken language in the [[Fertile Crescent]] after the 7th century AD, texts were often written in Arabic with the Syriac script. [[Malayalam]] was also written with Syriac script and was called [[Suriyani Malayalam]]. Such non-Syriac languages written in Syriac script are called ''[[Garshuni]]'' or ''Karshuni''.

The ''Madnhāyā'', or 'eastern', version formed as a form of shorthand developed from ʾEsṭrangēlā and progressed further as handwriting patterns changed. The ''Madnhāyā'' version also possesses optional vowel markings to help pronounce Syriac. Other names for the script include ''{{transliteration|sem|Swāḏāyā}}'', 'conversational', often translated as "contemporary", reflecting its use in writing modern Neo-Aramaic.

[[File:6thBeatitude.svg|thumb|400px|center|The sixth [[Beatitudes|beatitude]] ([[Matthew 5:8]]) in Classical Syriac from the Peshitta (in ''Madnhāyā''):<br />{{Script/Mdnh|ܛܘܼܒܲܝܗܘܿܢ ܠܐܲܝܠܹܝܢ ܕܲܕ݂ܟܹܝܢ ܒܠܸܒ̇ܗܘܿܢ: ܕܗܸܢ݂ܘܿܢ ܢܸܚܙܘܿܢ ܠܐܲܠܵܗܵܐ܂}}<br />''{{transliteration|syc|Ṭūḇayhōn l-ʾaylên da-ḏḵên b-lebbhōn, d-hennōn neḥzon l-ʾǎlāhā}}.''<br />In the Neo-Aramaic of the Urmi Bible of 1893, this is rendered as:<br />{{Script/Mdnh|ܛܘܼܒ̣ܵܐ ܠܐܵܢܝܼ ܕܝܼܢܵܐ ܕܸܟ̣ܝܹ̈ܐ ܒܠܸܒܵܐ: ܣܵܒܵܒ ܕܐܵܢܝܼ ܒܸܬ ܚܵܙܝܼ ܠܐܲܠܵܗܵܐ.}}<br />''{{transliteration|syr|Ṭūḇā l-ʾānī d-ʾīnā diḵyē b-libbā, sābāb d-ʾānī bit xāzī l-ʾalāhā}}.''<br />'Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.']]